EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Faculty	Specialties	Profilization		Degree
	Literature Studies			Master of Science
	Linguistics			Master of Science
	Biology			Master of Science
	Biochemistry			Master of Science
	Ecology			Master of Science
	Psychology		Psychological Consulting and Psychological Correction	Master of Science
			Social Psychology	Master of Science
	World Economy			Master of Science
	Finance, Taxation and Credits			Master of Science
	Economics	Economics and Management at Enterprises		Master of Science
		Economics and innovative business development		Master of Science
	Applied Mathematics and Computer Science	Computer Data Analysis		Master of Science
	Management			Master of Science
	Marketing			Master of Science
	Computer Engineering		Programmable Complexes, Systems and Services	Master of Science
	Scientific and pedagogical activity			Master of Science
	Preschool education			Master of Science
	Educational management			Master of Science
	Primary education		Inclusive education	Master of Science
	Jurisprudence		Prosecution and Investigation Activities	Master of Science
			Legal Support of Alternative Conflict and Dispute Resolution	Master of Science
			Legal Support of Economic Activity	Master of Science
			Criminal law	Master of Science
			European law	Master of Science
			International law	Master of Science
	Sociology	Sociology of Management		Master of Science
	Journalism	Media Management		Master of Science
	History			Master of Science
	Theoretical and Applied Linguistics	Language Theory		Master of Science
	Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Conservation	Cultural Heritage and Tourism		Master of Science
	Political Science			Master of Science
	Music art	The art of concert perfomance		Master of Art
	Artistic and aesthetic education	Fine Arts		Master of Science
	Innovative Technologies in Mechanical Engineering	Construction Materials Processing in Machinery Manufacturing		Master of Science
	Transport	Technical operation of vehicles		Master of Science
	Logistics			Master of Science
	Construction Engineering	Industrial and civil construction		Master
	Physical Education and Sport		Pedagogical activity in health-improving and adaptive physical culture	Master of Science
	Applied physics		Modern methods and measuring instruments	Master of Science

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is one of the leaders in the export of educational services in the Republic of Belarus. The successful activity of the University is due to the high quality of the educational process, the presence of highly qualified teaching staff, modern material and technical base, decent living conditions for international students.

Admission of foreign citizens to acquire higher education under implementation of the educational program of higher education of the II stage in the specialties was carried out in accordance with the Rules of admission of persons to acquire higher education of the II stage, approved by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated 02.02.2012 No. 110 (as amended on 07.08.2019 No. 526), the Procedure for admission of foreign citizens and stateless persons, temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus, to acquire higher education of the II stage at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno for the 2020/2021 academic year, approved by Rector on 26.06.2020, and the letter of the Ministry of Education dated 02.07.2020 No. 08-30/5612/ds/ “On the organization of admission of foreign citizens to acquire higher education of the II stage in 2020”.

In accordance with the paragraph 4.2. “Requirements for the level of education of persons enrolling for higher education of the II stage” of the current educational standards of higher education in the specialties of the Master’s studies, the required level of education of persons enrolling for higher education of the II stage is higher education of the I stage.

Enrollment of foreign citizens in Master's degree specialties was carried out by order of Rector on the basis of submitted documents, an introductory interview establishing their proficiency in the language of studies at the level sufficient to master the content of the educational program of higher education of the II stage (hereinafter referred to as language proficiency interviews), and an additional interview in the academic disciplines of the specialty (hereinafter referred to as an additional interview), minutes of the admissions committee meeting, as well as in accordance with the concluded contracts on the training of a specialist with higher education on a fee basis (hereinafter referred to as the Contract), which corresponds to paragraph 10 of Article 57 and paragraph 1 of Article 59 of the Education Code.

Since 2015 Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has been providing  training in educational programs of higher education of the I, II stages in English. Since 2015, foreign citizens from 14 countries have been trained in 5 specialties of higher education of the 1st stage and 18 specialties of the magistracy: the People's Republic of China, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Ghana, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kingdom of Sweden, Republic of Zimbabwe, Republic of Cameroon, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Maldives, Republic of Mali.

Dynamics of the number of foreign citizens admitted to study at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno to acquire higher education of the II stage in the period from 2019 to 2021 is presented in Table 1.

Table 1

The increase in the number of foreign students from the People's Republic of China was based on the sufficiently high results of the entrance tests of citizens from the People's Republic of China, the scientific, methodological and personnel readiness of the university to ensure the educational process in the magistracy, as well as by reducing the number of undergraduates from other countries, in particular Iraq, which allowed to maintain the high quality of education at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno.

The admission of the People's Republic of China citizens in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years is carried out for the full-time in the specialties listed in Table 2. The terms of studies are determined with Article 206 of the Education Code and paragraph 4.4 of the educational standard for the specialty of higher education of the II stage.

The training of foreign citizens in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years was carried out in the specialties listed in Table 2.

Table 2

THE QUALITY ASSURANCE OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESS WITH THE USE OF ICT

Due to the difficult epidemiological situation and in accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 17 of the Education Code, letters of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus “On carrying out measures to prevent COVID-19 infections” (dated 07.04.2020 No. 03-01-18/3305/ds/, dated 04.04.2020 No. 7-19/ 6000 respectively) in order to ensure safe conditions for education and upbringing, as well as in connection with the need for mandatory mastering of the content of educational programs of higher education for students receiving higher education full-time in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, the educational process was organized using ICT.

The principles and approaches for the regulatory regulation of the educational process using ICT and the certification of students were developed at the Republican Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions (decisions No. 2 dated 06.06.2019, No. 1 dated 16.04.2021). The Ministry of Education has developed recommendations for institutions of higher, secondary, vocational and technical education for organizing the educational process using ICT (letter of the Ministry of Education dated May 31, 2021 No. 03-01-04 / 1187), as well as recommendations on the algorithm for organizing the educational process in institutions of higher education using ICT (entered into force on 10.04.2020).

The informatization of the educational process

The educational process was organized on the network educational and methodological educational platform of the university. Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has been purposefully working for many years on the formation of the digital transformation of the educational process, starting with informatization as an increase in the efficiency of using a large amount of information at all stages of the educational process: from the introduction of information technologies within individual academic disciplines to 100% provision of disciplines with electronic educational and methodological complexes on the educational portal of the university. To date, the educational portal of the university is an educational and methodological network educational platform containing 2 thousand GB of information; 23.5 thousand users; 50 thousand courses.

All academic disciplines are provided with state-registered electronic educational and methodological complexes. The educational portal allows organizing communication between teachers and students, students with each other, track the activity of students in visiting the portal and using its materials, demonstrate and evaluate the results of work performed. Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has a significant potential for digital transformation of the educational process:

− automated system “Digital admissions Office”;

− educational portal of the university;

− digital service “ Individial working plan of Master’s student;

− automated management system “University”;

− educational process control system;

− distance education system;

− teacher's personal account on the Intranet portal;

− student’s personal account on the Intranet portal;

− electronic schedule and mobile version of the class schedule.

Yanka Kupala State University’s accumulated experience, the availability of educational and methodological support and the possibility of communication on the educational platform of the university made it easy to implement educational programs using ICT (using online technologies). In order to regulate the use of ICT at the University the Regulation on the use of ICT in the educational process was approved by the Rector's Order No. 485 dated 25.05.2020.

Scientific and methodological support in the specialties of the II stage of higher education at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is available in full: standard curricula, university curricula for specialties, curricula for disciplines approved in accordance with the established procedure.

In the process of implementing the educational program of the magistracy with the use of ICT, daily monitoring of the conduct and attendance of classes by students and their performance of training tasks was provided. At Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno an electronic service "Journal of Attendance and Progress Recording" has developed and operates. Using this service, teachers evaluate the level of learning outcomes of students by setting a mark, and also keep records of students' attendance in the classroom.

 

The educational platform of the University

To organize work using ICT in 2020, an electronic manual “Educational Portal: for teachers and students” was developed, which is a guide to the educational portal of the university, contains instructions on using platforms for organizing training in the form of webinars, video conferences and is used, including when teaching citizens of the People's Republic of China. Teachers and students, using an electronic manual, easily master the skills of working with such elements of the course as: lecture, assignment, forum, seminar, wiki, test. A separate role is assigned to the monitoring system and the evaluation log, as well as the methodology for conducting webinars on the WebEx, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams platforms.

In the educational process Yanka Kupala State University widely uses the capabilities of the educational portal (www.edu.grsu.by). Educational portal of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is an online educational platform created in 2011 based on the Moodle course management system. This is a single information resource on which organizational and educational materials are presented in a complex that fully support the educational process. The educational portal contains an electronic schedule, electronic educational and methodological complexes for all academic disciplines: curricula, presentations and lecture texts, practical lesson plans and methodological recommendations for them, tasks for guided independent work, questions for exams and tests; video and audio information; an electronic library and much more.

Electronic teaching materials posted on the educational portal can be used by a master's student in classes under the guidance of a teacher and independently. Assignments in academic disciplines posted on edu.grsu.by, aimed at the formation of the competencies specified in the curriculum: systemic thinking and activation of creative potential, the ability to find non-standard ways of obtaining, comprehending and processing information, etc. Undergraduates for the use of electronic educational resources have the necessary level of personal computer proficiency, each undergraduate has his own login and password to log in.

All educational and curricular documentation was developed on the basics of the specifics of teaching foreign citizens in English. Every student is provided with electronic educational literature and teaching materials in English for all subjects mentioned in the work plan.

Possibilities of the educational portal allow organizing individual tutoring for foreign students in their specialties and academic research as part of preparation of their master thesis.

 

The quality assurance of teaching in English

The educational process at the II stage of higher education is implemented by the most qualified teachers who have an academic degree, title, teaching experience or professional experience, taking into account the profile of education, who possess modern educational, including information technologies necessary for the organization of educational and research processes at the proper level.

More than 100 teachers were trained in English on the basis of the Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, including within the framework of the project “Enchancement of lifelong learning in Belarus”.

All teachers who carry out the educational process in English have passed the certification of professional competencies “Foreign language proficiency”, according to the results of which they were admitted to teaching academic disciplines in English (order of Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs No. 129, No. 305-306).

 

Compliance of individual work plans of Master’s students

 “Individual work plan of Master’s study” digital service allows organizing interaction between the teacher (supervisor) and the student towards development and progress monitoring of the master’s individual work plan.

Individual work plans of Master’s students were developed on the basis of the curriculum in the specialty together with the heads of research work, discussed at meetings of departments and Faculty councils and approved by Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno during the first two weeks since the beginning of the studies in accordance with the “Rules for the certification of students, cadets, trainees in the development of the content of educational programs of higher education”. Individual plans of undergraduates provide for measures to master the educational program of the II stage, forms and deadlines for reporting.

The management of the research work of Master students is carried out by supervisors appointed from among the teachers with an academic degree and academic title. The number of undergraduates at one supervisor does not exceed 7 people according to paragraph 73 of the Decree of the Ministry of Education dated 29.05.2012 No. 53 “On approval of the Rules for certification of students, cadets, trainees when mastering the content of educational programs of higher education”.

The intermediate certification of Master students was held at the meeting of the department twice a semester in accordance with the individual curricula of the work of Master students. The relevant records are available in the minutes of the meetings of the department and are included in the individual Master's plan.

Examination sessions were conducted in accordance with the “Rules for the certification of students, cadets, trainees in the development of the content of educational programs of higher education” (approved by the decree of the Ministry of Education on 23.05.2012 No. 53).

The form of final certification of students in accordance with Article 215 of the Code on Education when mastering the content of educational programs of higher education of the II stage is the defense of a Master's thesis. The final certification of students, upon completion of mastering the content of the educational program, is carried out by state examination commissions (hereinafter referred to as SEC). The chairmen of the SEC are appointed by order of the Ministry of Education, the composition of the SEC (members of the commissions) of higher education institutions are approved by the rector of the university no later than a month before the start of the work of the commissions for the defense of master's theses.

Decisions on the admission of a Master's thesis to the defense are made taking into account the degree of originality and correct borrowing, confirmed by the relevant certificate. Students who have fully completed the curriculum of the specialty, the individual master's work plan are allowed to defend their master's theses.

After the normalization of the epidemiological situation in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Education dated 29.07.2021 No. 577all foreign students were informed about the need to arrive at the university to finish their studies at the II stage of higher education, being directly in the classrooms and laboratories of the university.

 

 

AWARDS AND CERTIFICATES IN THE FIELD OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE OF EDUCATION

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has a special permit (license) for the right to carry out educational activities No. 02100/442 (hereinafter referred to as the License), issued on the basis of the decision of the Ministry of Education dated 30.04.2004 No. 602, registered in the register of special permits (licenses) of the Ministry of Education for No. 442, amendments and (or) addendums were made on the basis of decision dated 04.03.2022 No. 135. According to the License Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno can provide the educational activity on 77 specialties of the high education of the I stage and on 32 specialties of the II stage.

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno is accredited:

• in compliance with the declared type – classical university (certificate No. 0008672, issued according to the order of the Ministry of Education dated 29.04.2019 No. 353);
• as a scientific organization in the State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (certificate of accreditation of the scientific organization dated 12.10.2021, valid until 11.10.2026).

A quality management system has been developed and implemented at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. In 2022, a conformity certificate (registered in the register of the National Conformity Assessment System of the Republic of Belarus under No. BY/112 05.01.002.01 00369, registration date 14.06.2022, valid until 27.05.2024) was issued to Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno by the Belarusian State Institute of Standardization and Certification, which certifies that the quality management system in relation to the design and provision of specialist training services at the I stage of higher education, Masters at the II stage of higher education, highly qualified researchers, retraining and advanced training of personnel; implementation of research and innovation activities, international activities; educational work comply with the requirements of STB ISO 9001-2015, ISO 9001:2015

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno was first awarded the Prize of the Government of the Republic of Belarus for achievements in the field of quality in 2010, then confirmed the title of laureate in 2015, 2018 and 2021. The Prize of the Government of the Republic of Belarus for achievements in the field of quality was established by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated 05.11.1998 No. 1705 in order to increase the competitiveness of products, works performed, services rendered manufactured in the Republic of Belarus, and to ensure recognition of achievements in the field of quality of products (works and services).

On January 27, 2023, the Accreditation Council of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) made a decision on institutional accreditation and program accreditation of Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno for compliance with the standards and guidelines for international accreditation of foreign educational organizations and educational programs based on ESG.